About
Three Span
Oil & Gas, Inc.
Three Span Oil & Gas, Inc. is an established independent oil and gas exploration and production company with a rich history rooted in the Permian Basin. Established in 1998, we succeeded Three Span Services, a respected firm specializing in oil and gas drilling, completion, and operation consulting. For decades, we have focused on generating value through the efficient development and optimization of oil and gas assets.
Our Team
E. Earl
Baldridge III
President,
Three Span Oil & Gas, Inc.
With a career rooted in the technical rigors of petroleum engineering, Earl Baldridge has led Three Span Oil & Gas, Inc. since its founding in 1992. Educated at The Lawrenceville School and the University of Wyoming, Earl’s early career with Texaco Exploration and Production, Inc. provided a blueprint for his transition into independent operations and global consultancy. Throughout the 1990s, Earl acted as a vital technical partner for international majors and independents alike, drafting and implementing integrated project management agreements across South America, the Gulf of Mexico, China, Central Asia, and Russia. A short list of client partners includes Burlington Resources, Conoco Phillips, Freeport McMoRan, Lapis Oil Capital, P.T. Caltex Pacific Indonesia, Surgutneftegas PJSC, and Torch Energy. This global exposure to diverse geological and regulatory environments eventually informed his 1997 decision to focus Three Span’s capital on the Permian Basin. Today, Earl oversees all drilling and operational management for Three Span and its subsidiaries/affiliates. His expertise is reflected in the company's successful exploitation of assets in the Enterprise (Strawn), Salt Creek, S. (Penn. Lower), and Andrews South (Devonian) fields, among others. Earl continues to build on a multi-generational legacy of professional energy production and engineering excellence.
Barrett D.
Baldridge
Controller and
Business Development Manager
Barrett D. Baldridge serves as the Controller and Business Development Manager for Three Span Oil & Gas, Inc., where he oversees the firm’s financial strategy and growth initiatives. A graduate of The Lawrenceville School and Texas Christian University, Barrett earned a B.S. in Economics with a minor in Energy Management before further specializing his expertise at the University of Houston. There, he obtained a Master of Science in Global Energy Management, complemented by a Certificate in Economics of the Energy Value Chain. Prior to joining Three Span, Barrett built a robust professional foundation in the energy hubs of Houston and Dallas, holding finance-oriented roles across various industry sectors. This experience provided him with a comprehensive understanding of capital allocation, market analysis, and the fiscal complexities of the upstream landscape. In 2022, Barrett returned to Midland to apply this multi-disciplinary background to the family’s operations. As Controller, he manages the rigorous financial reporting and administrative oversight essential to modern exploration and production. Simultaneously, his role in Business Development focuses on identifying and evaluating strategic opportunities that align with Three Span’s long-term commitment to value creation and operational excellence in the Permian Basin.
Edgar Earl "EJ" Baldridge IV
Land Manager
Edgar Earl "EJ" Baldridge IV serves as the Land Manager for Three Span Oil & Gas, Inc., a position he has held for over a decade. A graduate of The Lawrenceville School and Duke University, EJ holds a diverse academic foundation with a B.S. in Economics, a B.A. in History, and a minor in Spanish Language. In 2023, he further specialized his professional credentials by earning a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Energy Business from Texas Tech University. EJ’s approach to land management is informed by a rare "ground-up" perspective of the industry. Beginning in his youth, he gained essential field experience working across various sectors of the oilfield—from serving as a shop hand for a production pump company to working on pulling units and serving as a roustabout. This early exposure to the mechanical and labor-intensive side of the business provides him with a practical understanding of operations that extends far beyond the typical land office. Since returning to Midland in 2015 to join the family company, EJ has overseen the management of Three Span’s acreage positions, mineral interests, and regulatory affairs. By blending his background in economics and history with an MBA-level focus on energy business, he ensures that the company’s land assets are managed with both long-term strategic vision and a deep respect for the regional heritage of the Permian Basin.
Aaron T.
Production
Supervisor
Wesley K.
Engineering Operations Manager
Claire D.
Regulatory
Tech.
Deep Roots & High Standards:
Our History
Excellence in energy isn’t just our history; it’s our foundation.
For four generations, the Baldridge Family has navigated the evolution of the oil & gas industry, building a technical and operational heritage that remains the cornerstone of our work today.
Forebears
Edgar Earl Baldridge, Sr., was born in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1904, the son of the prominent South Texas rancher & founder of Fort Worth Savings Bank & Trust Co., also named Edgar Earl Baldridge. After leaving The University of the South (presumably before graduation), he moved to Venezuela, where we began a life-long career in oil & gas exploration & production. In Venezuela, he began as a roughneck drilling in the oil fields Lake Maracaibo. He left Venezuela to launch Baldridge & King with Gilmer King in McAllen, Texas, where he wildcatted in early South Texas oilfields. In 1944, The Chicago Corporation purchased Baldridge & King, at which time Buddy moved to Fort Worth to serve as an executive and corporate board member of the conglomerate. Under his aggressive leadership, The Chicago Corporation shifted its primary focus to oil & gas exploration & production, as evidenced by its early investments in Tennessee Gas Transmission (later known as Tenneco) and a 1954 purchase of Champlin Oil & Refining Co. In 1964, Celanese Corporation purchased Champlin Oil & Refining, and in 1970, Union Pacific purchased the Champlin Oil & Refining Co. assets from Celanese Corporation. Mr. Baldridge served on the Board of Directors of the Union Pacific Corporation and as Chairman of the Executive Committee for its Champlin subsidiary (later Union Pacific Resources) until his death.
Edgar Earl Baldridge, Jr., known as “Buddy” was a prolific investor in oil & gas out of Fort Worth but died early. He graduated from Culver Military Academy and then Southern Methodist University, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. With good friends Dan McLeland and Jerry Zeller, he went on to found Span Oil Company, Inc., an exploration & production company with associated midstream assets that operated in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. It is in honor of his father’s company that E. Earl Baldridge III, his eldest son, named his exploration & production company Three Span Oil & Gas, Inc.
Raiford Harold Burton was born in Magnolia, Arkansas on October 7, 1907, the scion of a prominent timber & railway family. He attended Magnolia High School and Southern State College (now called Southern Arkansas University) and later did extension work at The University of Texas. After serving in the United States Navy, Burton went to work as a radio operator for Radio Corporation of America in July 1927.
While employed there, he became interested in the new field of geophysics and decided to pursue a geophysical career. He joined Geophysical Research Corporation as an observer in 1929. It wasn’t long before he was party chief with Amerada Petroleum Corporation, heading crews throughout the United States. Burton also did pioneer geophysical work in the Permian Basin and Gulf Coast areas of Texas.
Burton’s crew operated under the first permit issued by University of Texas Lands, earning high commendations for their work. While operating under Permit No. 1, Burton was instrumental in compiling rules and regulations for conducting geophysical exploration on University-owned lands, many of which are still in existence today.
Burton left Amerada in 1946 and joined a partnership in a successful gas company in Big Lake, Texas. Two years later, his dedication to geophysics led him to found Burton Geophysical Company , a seismograph contracting company. Under Burton’s leadership and hard work, the company was a success and made several important petroleum discoveries, including the Headlee Field near Midland-Odessa. The company was incorporated in 1950 and Burton was named president. The company expanded their exploration outside Texas to several other states, including New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Kansas. Burton Geophysical Company, Inc. was widely recognized as a leader in both geophysical and production operations.
In 1958, Burton resigned as president of Burton Geophysical Company and was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors. He continued to give his talent and wisdom to the company until his death in 1962. Burton was recognized as a true scientist, highly trained in many phases of geophysical exploration and a leader in his profession. He was a member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists and the Permian Basin Geophysical Society. He established the Mary Baker Burton Foundation, a charitable foundation dedicated to assist and encourage young scientists. The Raiford H. Burton Memorial SEG Scholarship also exemplifies his dedication to geophysics and young people in the profession.
The Raiford H. Burton Collection
Geophysics Research (1931-54)
These films are a compilation of footage from West Texas, East Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas shot by Raiford Harold (R.H.) Burton from 1931-1954. Most of the footage is of teams working for Amerada Petroleum Corporation where Burton was party chief, heading geophysical crews through 1946. In 1948, R.H. Burton founded the Burton Geophysical Company which was responsible for the 1953 Headlee oil discovery in Ector County, Texas, about 5 miles outside of Odessa, Texas in the Permian Basin. The Headlee discovery remains a major and historic oil field, and footage of the discovery is included in these videos, which shows scenes of crews surveying, stringing cable for and burying geophones, shooting dynamite, recording shock waves, drilling and operating rigs.
In partnership with
the Texas Archive
of the Moving Image
and:
Our values
This is the space to introduce visitors to the business or brand. Briefly explain who's behind it, what it does and what makes it unique. Share its core values and what this site has to offer.
-
Integrity
-
People
-
Velocity
-
Flexibility
-
Vision
This Is Us In Numbers
$355M
Clients’ Income during the Last Quarter
10+
Business Partners in Over 30 Countries
27
Years of Experience
5
Industry Awards